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Lieberman-Warner Bill Remains a Disappointment

Posted Oct. 28, 2008 / Posted by: admin

For Immediate Release

For more information contact: Nick Berning, 202-222-0748

Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder had the following statement after the introduction of climate legislation by Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.) today in the U.S. Senate:

"Friends of the Earth thanks Senators Lieberman and Warner for introducing legislation that addresses global warming. Unfortunately, the approach introduced today by Senators Lieberman and Warner falls far short of our responsibility as one of the world's largest global warming emitters. While the bill has improved slightly from the draft that was circulated in August, it does not achieve the reductions that science requires to avoid the catastrophic impacts of global warming.

"In addition to missing critical targets and timetables, the bill fails to implement a 100 percent auction of permits in a timely fashion. This means that polluters will be rewarded with pollution permits worth tens or hundreds of billions of dollars or more. We are also disappointed that the bill apparently abdicates U.S. moral responsibility by failing to provide funding to help the world's most impoverished people adapt to climate-related food, water, and health impacts that the United States has helped cause with its disproportionate global warming pollution.

"We urge members of the Environment and Public Works Committee, which will consider this legislation, to join with Senators Sanders (I-Vt.) and Lautenberg (D-N.J.) in pushing for a stronger bill."

A Friends of the Earth analysis of the value of corporate giveaways in an earlier draft of the bill is available here. The analysis will be updated later today to reflect the bill's current language and will be available at the same link.